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<h1>
    THE RESIDENTS
</h1>

<div class="quote">
    "..."<br />

    <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
</div>

<div class="members">
    ?, ?, ? and ?<br />

    <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/games/create.html">South Park Create-A-Character</a>...?
</div>

<p class="albumList">
  <a href="#dog">Santa Dog</a><br />
  <a href="#residents">Meet The Residents</a><br />
  <a href="#roll">The Third Reich 'n' Roll</a><br />
  <a href="#fingerprince">Fingerprince</a><br />
  <a href="#babyfingers">Babyfingers</a><br />
  <a href="#stab">Duck Stab</a><br />
  <a href="#glen">Duck Stab / Buster And Glen</a><br />
  <a href="#available">Not Available</a><br />
  <a href="#eskimo">Eskimo</a><br />
  <a href="#album">The Residents Commercial Album</a><br />
  <a href="#persons">God In Three Persons</a><br />
</p>

<p>I love this band. Really. I'd go as far as to say that they are my favourite band coming from the USA. These guys are very much a "mystical" band in all possible senses. Nobody know their names, who they are, or how they look like - for many years they've been completely unknown, but in the late seventies they became known for their costumes: Tuxedoes, top hats, and big eyeball masks. They have <em>always</em> been an underground band, doing bizarre music (that sometimes isn't music at all), and never selling more than a few thousand records. They achieved a level of near-popularity in the late seventies, but got back to the underground again with their infamous "Mole Trilogy". The band has lots of stories to tell, even if more than half of them probably aren't true. There are <em>lots</em> of strange rumours and stories concerning the band's works, and whether they're true or not, we'll probably never know. It's all a trick. How do you think they have managed to remain completely unknown for 30 years?</p>

<p>And in my opinion, the Residents' anonymity helps <em>greatly</em> in enjoying their work. When you listen to a Residents album, you don't care about <em>who</em> is making each of those wacky sounds, but concentrate in the <em>music</em> itself instead (though I'm sure one of the Residents is a woman...), and it probably helps them, too: if one of them eyeball-heads happens to be a psychotic mass murderer, nobody will ever know!</p>

<p>For a little while, The Residents have been interested in mocking the traditions of pop music - not in the Sex Pistols' arrogant fashion of "we're here to put an end to rock 'n' roll," but in a youthful spirit of "hey, guys! Look at we can do with these tapes and instruments!" like it's better seen on <strong>The Third Reich 'n' Roll</strong> and other albums as well. Eventually they got around to making actual <em>songs</em>, bizarre as they can ever be. Sometimes the concept of their albums is truly wicked (like on <strong>The Commercial Album</strong> or <strong>God In Three Persons</strong>), sometimes fascinating (<strong>Eskimo</strong>, <strong>Wormwood</strong>), but I can assure you that they were <em>very</em> creative and original, at least in their classic period. And they never ignored musical values: you will find lots of musical content in almost every Residents release, no matter how twisted and corrupted they are. They can't play their instruments, and make an effort to make they sound even <em>more</em> out of tune, and did wonders with tape effects and synthesizers. But beware that their material isn't for everyone, ya know! If you have a deadly allergy against the sorts of Captain Beefheart, stay away. Seriously.</p>

<p><a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail your ideas</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="dog">Santa Dog (1972)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Fire</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li><span class="good">Fire ++</span></li>
  <li>Lightning</li>
  <li>Explosion <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Aircraft Damage</li>
</ol>

<p>This is the first official release of The Residents, on their own label, Ralph Records. This is an interesting package: it consists of two 45 singles, with four songs in total - each led by a different Resident. This might be an interesting place to start with them: it's not aggressively weird, it's quite catchy in spots, and also - it's short. Heh heh. Actually, this includes the Residents' signature song: 'Fire'. It's short (less than two minutes long), but it's catchy, funny, cute and clever. It features the "singing Resident" repeating some mantras endlessly, while the band provides a 60's rock background to him. It manages to be very Residents-ish, and yet, quite accessible.</p>

<p>The rest is hardly as catchy, but hardly any worse. 'Lightning' features the guys going in an instrumental "jam", very similar to some Captain Beefheart's stuff. There's an instrument soloing somewhere, that sounds like a violin crossed with a guitar crossed with God knows what. There are loads of instruments in this stuff, 90% of which the guys just <em>couldn't</em> play. But they play them, anyway. It sounds like they're setting the plans for future releases, you know. The results can be fun to listen to, but they don't make any <em>essential</em> material in The Residents' catalogue.</p>

<p>On the second disc, there's 'Explosion', that's based on a funny little theme, and is played in a 60's jazzy style, before some guy starts speaking "when everyone lives in the future, the present is au revoir!" on a megaphone. Heh heh, talk about philosophy! I guess 'Fire' and 'Explosion' would have made a great single single (as opposed to the "double single" it actually is), but hey, that would have been uninteresting, wouldn't it? Besides, we have the opportunity to listen to an extract from the guys' movie project <em>Vileness Fats</em> (that went on for years and was never finished), that's on the last track, 'Aircraft Damage'. It's funny to listen to those two guys shouting out gibberish ("New Mexico delivers Wiscoosa! Wiscoosa knows the way..."), but there isn't exactly any <em>practical</em> utilisation for this after two or three listens. I guess this was just a throwaway release, anyway. And I <em>do</em> mean "throwaway": The records were "thrown away" by mail to several celebrities, including Richard Nixon and Frank Zappa. I wonder if they ever heard this "album". I guess not. Ohh, how difficult it is to be a musician.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>8/10</strong></big>  - Fair and balanced. But not as impressive as later stuff.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>7/10</strong></big>  - Nowhere as funny and addictive as <strong>Meet The Residents</strong>, for instance.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - Well, <em>original</em> it certainly is.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - These tunes do sound like they're written, though. It's no random, mindless cacophony.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>8/10</strong></big>  - Ehh...
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: 8.2 = <strong class="grade">8</strong>
</p>

<p>Suggestions? Ideas? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail me right away</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="residents" class="best">Meet The Residents (1973)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Rest Aria</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>Boots <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Numb Erone <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Guylum Bardot ++</span></li>
  <li>Breath And Length <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Consuelo's Departure <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Smelly Tongues ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Rest Aria ++</span></li>
  <li>Skratz</li>
  <li>Spotted Pinto Bean <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Infant Tango ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Seasoned Greetings ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">N-Er-Gee (Crisis Blues) ++</span></li>
</ol>

<p>Well, this is actually it. This is the first official Residents LP released. In its first year, it sold about 40 copies. It's no wonder, though. I don't think underground bands like The Residents could be able to beat Mike Oldfield's score with <strong>Tubular Bells</strong>. Anyway, the album must definitely <em>not</em> the best place to start with The Residents. For one, this must be the scariest, most bizarre release they ever did. In one hand, this means that they would smooth their sound a bit, and make it a little more catchy and accessible in future releases like <strong>Duck Stab</strong>. But in another hand, this can be a bit deceptive. After all, this is, in my opinion, a fantastic album. And it's a shame they never tried something similar later on.</p>

<p>Maybe this is good, but then, we'll never know. For starters, the sound here is absolutely bizarre. Weirdness <em>abounds</em> on here. But it's a different kind of weirdness from what we were used to. This is not identical to Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart or The Beatles' 'Revolution 9'. This is <em>goofy music</em>, with both words stressed. It's goofy, because the instruments are out of tune, they play in a million different keys at the same time, some horrible, LOUD noises come in suddenly from absolutely nowhere, the vocals are highly nasal, the lyrics are nonsense, and everything is very dark and scary. In the other hand, it's <em>music</em>, because there are - believe it - melodies, themes, rhythms and whatnot. They're just distorted, twisted and weirded-out in horrible ways. The album's liner notes proclaims "let the strangeness wear off in a couple of plays". While this is obviously tongue-in-cheek humour, it's kinda true. In first listen, this will be a complete mess. But with time, those subtleties will appear, and the album's brilliance will be clear as water. Serious!</p>

<p>For one, there are some <em>magnificent</em> songs on here, and some magnificent non-songs here as well. The album begins with an 8 minute stretch of 6 songs, all mixed up with each other. 'Boots' begins with a guy singing a tune, with his vocals horribly muffled, but there are those horribly loud and dissonant brass stabs, marimbas and the "pa-bump pa-bump" voices that go on forever. What a great way to scare off the newcomers! The weirdest spots include 'Consuelo's Departure', that for a few seconds, sounds like something Radiohead would have done in 2001, but soon becomes more goofy singing. 'Breath And Length' features a female voice (which I believe to belong to one of the band members - I'm <em>sure</em> there is a woman in there!) singing a nursery rhyme, that's <em>horribly</em> corrupted by noises, glockenspiels and some truly ear-destructive guitar massacre, courtesy of guitarist Snakefinger. 'Smelly Tongues' begins with a horribly loud clanging melody, 'Guylum Bardot' features some bad trombone playing, 'Numb Erone' has some horribly distorted piano... and what's the point of this stuff? It's funny! It's weird! It's totally weird! But there is <em>music</em> in this stuff, and that's what makes it stand out.</p>

<p>But for some <em>real music</em>, there's the utterly fantastic 'Rest Aria', that begins with some classical-like piano playing (really), before it turns into a funkish groove, and some trumpets, glockenspiels, trombones join in, and they play, like, 5 different melodies on top of each other. The build-up is brilliantly constructed, and the way the piano turns from classical into funky is just genius. And those melodies! G-e-n-i-u-s! 'Infant Tango' is also fantastic, combining some <em>groovy</em> guitar chugging and more brasses, and a guy trying to sound like Captain Beefeart ("WATCH THAT INFANT TANGO! SEE THAT INFANT TANGO! ALL THAT INFANT TANGO IS A DANCE FOR YOU!"). It goes on for five minutes, but they go through about 5 different grooves. Cool stuff! 'Seasoned Greetings' begins with a cute brass melody, but it soon transforms itself into the most maniacal and psychotic Christmas song ever written. Don't believe me? Just wait until you listen to the song.</p>

<p>But just as there is some cool music, there's come cool <em>anti-music</em> in here. 'Skratz' has the singing Resident reciting an absurdist poetry over a completely disorienting background. The brasses insistently hit some horribly dissonant notes, creating a truly haunting mood. 'Spotted Pinto Bean' is the only song on here that can be considered overlong, but it's great: it combines some stupid Broadway-style choir, even stupider brass and piano melodies crashing head first against each other, and finishes with an even stupider performance by a female overemoting over the stupid verses. Hilarious! But nothing beats the final track, in its nine-minute glory. 'N-Er-Gee' features the best moment in the record: when some guy puts on a "'Nobody But Me'" record and begins to sing along. But soon, the record begins to skip just when the singer reaches a <em>really</em> stupid line, and the Residents start <em>annihilating</em> the song with all their horrible noises, until it all <em>explodes</em>, leaving the guy singing his stupid line for eternity. After that, the song goes on a series of really twisted piano-driven crescendos, reaching a strange finale, with the guys repeating an anti-war chant until it fades-out. Hmm...</p>

<p>There's just so many things to be told about this record, if I allowed myself to, I would never stop. But hey, things must come to an end, like <strong>Meet The Residents</strong> and this review. I give you this: this is a truly spectacular album. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who has never heard anything by the Residents before. It's extremely scary at first listen. But yes, the first album by The Residents I have heard was this one. And slowly, my feelings turned from absolute surprise to absolute amazement. If you don't like weird music, stay away. But if you have your little fetish for Zappa and Beefheart, give this one a listen eventually!</p>

<p><em>Note: this album is issued in two different versions: the original, MONO issue that clocks at 42 minutes, and a re-release, in STEREO, that clocks under 38 minutes. I have listened to the two versions, and I really recommend you to try and get the original. It's longer, weirder, more disorienting, and it has the full, 9 minute 'N-Er-Gee'.</em></p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>10/10</strong></big> - Heck, this <em>is</em> the album for me.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - While it doesn't move me to tears or nothing, it's damn funny. And this must be the very point.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>10/10</strong></big> - 'Nuff said. Nobody had ever done <em>this</em> stuff, and nobody has done again.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>10/10</strong></big> - Again, absolutely stunning.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>10/10</strong></big> - Really, it never gets boring.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: 9.8 = <strong class="ten">10</strong>
</p>

<p>Comments? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail me</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="roll">The Third Reich 'n' Roll (1975)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <em>Did anyone say "song"?</em>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li><span class="good">Swastikas On Parade ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Hitler Was A Vegetarian ++</span></li>
</ol>

<p>Now <em>this</em> is something bizarre. While <strong>Meet The Residents</strong> had some cool, beautiful music hidden below all the strangeness, this... Well, this <em>has</em> music, too. But in a different way. Heck, let me explain the album to you.</p>

<p>These two suites present us with the premise that 60's rock is a Nazi plot to brainwash the youth. So, the album is consisted of several pieces of 60's rock songs <em>butchered, destroyed</em> and <em>demolished</em> in every possible way. The point isn't making music - the point is to completely <em>annihilate</em> music. They take the lyrics and sing them in absurdly exaggerated vocals; they take the riffs and play them using hideous, loud sounds; they slam sounds and tape effects all over their "covers". And the thing just goes on and on. Just when you think things can't get any worse, they pull out something even more disturbing. And the final result, is it worth listening?</p>

<p>If you've heard these originals, hell yeah! These songs are "reworked" in absolutely hilarious ways. It isn't clear whether the Residents are just having some laughs or making a snide, sneering critique of pop culture - but it doesn't matter. Some songs are mostly part of the American culture of the 60's ('Psychotic Reaction', 'It's My Party', 'Double Shot Of My Baby Love', 'Pushin' Too Hard', etc), so you most likely will find them all in <strong>Nuggets</strong>. If you don't know these originals, well, it's not such a big deal. The "music" itself is hilarious enough already. Besides that, they get around to some actual <em>classics</em>: 'Light My Fire', 'Land Of A Thousand Dances', 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida', and - yes - 'Hey Jude'!</p>

<p>There are truly <em>brilliant</em> moments in here. The first side, comprised of the suite 'Swastikas On Parade', consists mostly of weird montages of "covers", sometimes alternated with sound effects and other kinds of song destruction. For example, one of my favourite moments is when 'Psychotic Reaction' is violently interrupted with a nightmare of crashing cars, alarms, gunfire. 'Little Girl' follows, and it's slowly transformed into 'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag' sung in German (!!) by the lady Residents, alternating with hilarious "ta daaa!" sounds. As you might imagine, there are many allusions to war, with sounds of helicopters, marching drums, and whatever you can imagine. The end features lots of riffs played on top of each other, creating a hell of an absolute mess. Side two, 'Hitler Was A Vegetarian', was recorded months later, and features songs "covered" in a more "organised" fashion, featuring a stringy, ugly synthesizer sound. And more classics abound! There's the hilarious "rendition" of 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida', where the guys transform the song's main riff into the riff of 'Sunshine Of Your Love'! Genius! And, of course, 'Hey Jude', that ends the album, is played on about 5 different keys at once, and features some kickass guitar work by Snakefinger.</p>

<p>Nowadays, you can acquire the reissue of the album with four bonus tracks, taken from two 70's singles. 'Satisfaction' is plainly <em>gruesome</em>, almost unlistenable, and with another

<p>This is certainly an unique album - a must hear if you lived your youth through the 60's in America, or something. I, who hasn't, am satisfied already. After all, I get to witness what kind of songs are considered 60's classics. Come on, 'It's My Party'? 'Yummy Yummy Yummy'?? This is a joke, right? The first time I heard that one song was in a Disney cartoon, and I thought it <em>was</em> a cartoon song. I was <em>terrorised</em> when, through this album, I discovered that it makes part of the actual "American rock culture". Come on, what are those North-Americans thinking? Kudos to The Residents for completely maiming and butchering this stupid tune.</p>

<p>Did I sound too insulting there?... I don't care. I hate that song, really.</p>

<p>Now <em>this</em> is something bizarre. While <strong>Meet The Residents</strong> had some cool, beautiful music hidden below all the strangeness, this... Well, this <em>has</em> music, too. But in a different way. Heck, let me explain the album to you.</p>

<p>These two suites present us with the premise that 60's rock is a Nazi plot to brainwash the youth. So, the album is consisted of several pieces of 60's rock songs <em>butchered, destroyed</em> and <em>demolished</em> in every possible way. The point isn't making music - the point is to completely <em>annihilate</em> music. They take the lyrics and sing them in absurdly exaggerated vocals; they take the riffs and play them using hideous, loud sounds; they slam sounds and tape effects all over their "covers". And the thing just goes on and on. Just when you think things can't get any worse, they pull out something even more disturbing. And the final result, is it worth listening?</p>

<p>If you've heard these originals, hell yeah! These songs are "reworked" in absolutely hilarious ways. It isn't clear whether the Residents are just having some laughs or making a snide, sneering critique of pop culture - but it doesn't matter. Some songs are mostly part of the American culture of the 60's ('Psychotic Reaction', 'It's My Party', 'Double Shot Of My Baby Love', 'Pushin' Too Hard', etc), so you most likely will find them all in <strong>Nuggets</strong>. If you don't know these originals, well, it's not such a big deal. The "music" itself is hilarious enough already. Besides that, they get around to some actual <em>classics</em>: 'Light My Fire', 'Land Of A Thousand Dances', 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida', and - yes - 'Hey Jude'!</p>

<p>There are truly <em>brilliant</em> moments in here. I love it when they transform 'Little Girl' slowly into a rendition of 'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag' sung in German (!!), alternating with some hilarious *ta-daaa!* sounds. The end of side one features lots and lots of riffs played on top of each other, creating a hell of an absolute mess. There's the hilarious "rendition" of 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida', where the guys transform the song's main riff into the riff of 'Sunshine Of Your Love'! Genius! And, of course, 'Hey Jude', that ends the album, is played on about 5 different keys at once, and features some kickass guitar work by Snakefinger.</p>

<p>This is certainly an unique album - a must hear if you lived your youth through the 60's in America, or something. I, who hasn't, am satisfied already. After all, I get to witness what kind of songs are considered 60's classics. Come on, 'It's My Party'? 'Yummy Yummy Yummy'?? This is a joke, right? The first time I heard that one song was in a Disney cartoon, and I thought it <em>was</em> a cartoon song. I was <em>terrorised</em> when, through this album, I discovered that it makes part of the actual "American rock culture". Come on, what are those North-Americans thinking? Kudos to The Residents for completely maiming and butchering this stupid tune.</p>

<p>Did I sound too insulting there?... I don't care. I hate that song, really.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>10/10</strong></big> - Well, well, well...<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>8/10</strong></big>  - Err... I don't know what rating to give here, seriously.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>10/10</strong></big> - Can't deny <em>that</em>.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - For the tricks, I guess. The Residents didn't <em>write</em> anything.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - Yeah, well, it's one of the main points.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: 9.2 = <strong class="grade">9</strong>
</p>

<p>Comments? Ideas? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Send them in</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="fingerprince">Fingerprince (1976)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Six Things To A Cycle</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li><span class="good">You Yesyesyes ++</span></li>
  <li>Home Age Conversation <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Godsong ++</span></li>
  <li>March De La Winni</li>
  <li>Bossy</li>
  <li>Boo Who? <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Tourniquet Of Roses <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>You Yesyesyes Again <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Six Things To A Cycle ++</span></li>
</ol>

<p>Without any further notice, The Residents set their plans to make an album of actual <em>songs</em>. You know, 3-minute songs. And not just that. One of the tracks would be a 17-minute chef d'eouvre build around the themes of a <em>ballet</em>. And not just that. Their plans was to make world's <em>first three-sided LP</em>. Now, how many changes for one single album are that? Doesn't the Residents ever give up trying to innovate?</p>

<p>Unfortunately, the album didn't become a three sided LP because... well, they didn't know <em>how</em> to make an actual three sided LP. Monty Python managed it with <strong>Matching Tie &amp; Handkerchief</strong>, which had the feature of having two "sides" on side two <em>entwined</em> into each other. That is, one the needle touches the disc, there's no way to predict which "side" it will actually play. Other forms of three sided LP's were created, but that's not the point of this review, now, is it?</p>

<p>Point is, the "lost second side" of the three sides was transformed into the <strong>Babyfingers</strong> EP, reviewed below. <strong>Fingerprince</strong> features the first and third sides, in a total of 9 tracks. What do I think of it? Well... it's not one of the Residents' best ever, but it's dang good! Truth is, this album can be horribly deceptive at first listens - not just because of the blast that the previous albums were, but because of the album's own structure itself. It starts off with the extremely groovy, catchy and cool 'You Yesyesyes', which features Latin-tinged drum machines (!), and all the components that made <strong>Meet The Residents</strong> worthwhile: out-of-tune brasses, lots of instruments, a funny little theme, cool guitarwork, etc. Difference is, the song is accessible, cute, hardly as zany and twisted as, say, 'Smelly Tongues', and quite <em>tame</em>. Yet it's great. The rest of the album is more or less the same thing. The only difference is... it's not as great. The only track that reaches that level of brilliance is the absolute masterpiece 'Godsong', an absolutely hilarious piano-driven quasi-theatrical with loud brass stabs, climaxes and an absolutely genial rant about... well, God. Damn, just listen to the lyrics. Genius!... Also, it's probably the only moment in the record when the lyrics are <em>meaningful</em>. Otherwise, it's all random nonsense in the best tradition of 'Skratz'.</p>

<p>But the other spots are hardly as strong. Slowly, these songs will grab you, but at first, it's just a whole lot of mood and nothing else - like 'Home Age Conversation', for example. Fortunately, I learned to dig it. I just didn't learn to dig 'March De La Winni' and 'Bossy', two extremely short and pointless tunes. 'Tourniquet Of Roses' is actually kinda creepy, with its marching rhythm; 'Boo Who?' is even creepier, with a "ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum" rhythm, that feels <em>very</em> uncomfortable due to a slightly out-of-sync instrument playing. And 'You Yesyesyes Again' has not much to do with the original 'You Yesyesyes' aside from the main theme - but it sounds funny, because it's like a guy <em>learning</em> to play the guitar, and making all sorts of amateurish variations on the theme. Also, it has tubular bells! How cool is that?</p>

<p>Well, that was side one for ya. Like I said, it's not that special. It's damn good, but... well, it's just not as memorable as <strong>Meet The Residents</strong>. Yet, I can't argue that this is the album that best defines the <em>sound</em> of the seventies' Residents. You need the album if you're <em>really</em> into these guys. Plus, if you're a fan, you can't live without...</p>

<p><em>... the absolutely fantastic 'Six Things To A Cycle'!!</em> Seriously, this track is definitely the best thing about the album. All "six things" are based around the same rhythmic pattern. It's quite repetitive, weird, freaky, mesmerising, and simply cool as hell. As the themes are repeated on and on, it stops being just a weird thing and completely hypnotises the listener - if you get what I'm talking about. Near the beginning, they kick off a drum-driven jam a la Pink Floyd, but then it turns into a <em>lot</em> of cool, strange things. Sometimes, they are just producing weird, freaky noises, but near the end, they create a <em>really</em> scary build-up of sounds and tension over some looped playing. Great stuff. Yes, it is <em>strange</em>. Far from the weirdness of <strong>Meet The Residents</strong>, but it still manages to be a masterpiece of its own.</p>

<p>So, the album doesn't get to the point of earning a 9, because... it's just not that high. But it's still a great buy. If you like it, be sure to check out <strong>Babyfingers</strong> as well. Even better: get the new re-release of <strong>Fingerprince</strong>, which includes both. Shame they left off the 'Monstrous Intro' of the latter EP, but well... it's not much of a loss.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - 'Six Things To A Cycle' is enough to guarantee at least a 7 on this grade.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>8/10</strong></big>  - Well, it's <em>definitely</em> not as funny and shocking as their earlier releases.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - Not many new tricks in here, I should say.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - They're still showing themselves as competent.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>8/10</strong></big>  - Well, it's not all that, I guess.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: 8.6 = <strong class="grade">8.5</strong>
</p>

<p>Comments? Suggestions? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">They're always welcome</a>.</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="babyfingers">Babyfingers (1976)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Flight Of The Bumble Roach (Roaches That Fly)</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>Monstrous Intro</li>
  <li><span class="good">Death In Barstow ++</span></li>
  <li>Melon Collie Lassie</li>
  <li><span class="good">Flight Of The Bumble Roach (Roaches That Fly) ++</span></li>
  <li>Walter Westinghouse <span class="good">+</span></li>
</ol>

<p>Since all the talk of "three sided album" is on the previous review already, let's go into the actual EP. As you all might have guessed, it's really in the essence of <strong>Fingerprince</strong>. But there are differences. The mood is <em>far</em> gloomier and scarier, and in my opinion, this EP is more enjoyable than side one of <strong>Fingerprince</strong>. Maybe that's just because the overall song quality is slightly higher on here. These five tracks are all pretty good, and none of them feel any pointless and underwhelming. They're all different, too. After the 40 second 'Monstrous Intro' (that was included especially for the EP, and wouldn't appear in the original three-sided record), 'Death In Barstow' is just as good as 'You Yesyesyes' with its dissonant main theme, the little piano rhythm, and the brass intermezzo. Plus there are the quite funny lyrics. 'Melon Collie Lassie' is a piece of slow, dark gloom, that predicts some of their work on <strong>Buster And Glen</strong>, but the <em>real</em> masterpiece of the record is the totally scary 'Flight Of The Bumble Roach'. It starts with some sinister voices talking about "three inch cockroaches that fly", and some <em>horrible</em>, distorted screaming... but that's before it kicks off into a frighteningly superb fast, synth-driven passage that sounds like nothing that came before it. Absolutely unique and amazing, this song is an absolute work of art, and gives the album some shiny, solid points.</p>

<p>Side two is occupied by the lengthy, monotonous 'Walter Westinghouse', which settles a mood with some hushed synth backgrounds and a slow drum-machine rhythm. But once in a while, some voices narrate the nonsensical story of said Walter Westinghouse, alternating the narrator's theatrical voice, and Walter's hick voice. But in the end, he starts dialoguing with his "wife" (that sounds like Marge Simpson after having inhaled quite a lot of helium), and at some point, they start repeating "eat exuding oinks upon and bleed decrepit broken bones at caustic spells of hell!" over and over, building a stupid, but exciting crescendo. What it means? Nothing, but I don't care! It's great! I don't know if all the previous 6 minutes are justified by this moment, but I guess they are.</p>

<p>I hate to say this, but I enjoy this album better than <strong>Fingerprince</strong>. I guess it's because it's far more compact and consistent. Plus, it's has 'Flight Of The Bumble Roach', and this means something. Some people say that this album is enjoyed better when put in the middle of <strong>Fingerprince</strong> - as it was originally intended - but... that's not my case. Still, if you get this, get <strong>Fingerprince</strong> too. After all, I think it's pretty much impossible to get this without getting <strong>Fingerprince</strong> as well, unless you find it in some used record store.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - No doubt on that.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - I say the mood on here is meaner and more aggressive than on <strong>Fingerprince</strong>.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - Well, it would be pointless to give it a rating different than on <strong>Fingerprince</strong><br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - No complaints on here.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - Maybe the shorter length make the album more compact and cohesive, I dunno.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <strong class="grade">9</strong>
</p>

<p><a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Please mail me</a>.</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="stab">Duck Stab / Buster & Glen (1977)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Constantinople</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li><span class="good">Constantinople ++</span></li>
  <li>Sinister Exaggerator <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>The Booker Tease</li>
  <li>Blue Rosebuds</li>
  <li><span class="good">Laughing Song ++</span></li>
  <li>Bach Is Dead</li>
  <li><span class="good">Elvis And His Boss ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Lizard Lady ++</span></li>
  <li>Semolina <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Birthday Boy <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Weight-Lifting Lulu</li>
  <li>Krafty Cheese</li>
  <li>Hello Skinny</li>
  <li><span class="good">The Electrocutioner ++</span></li>
</ol>

<p><strong>Duck Stab</strong>, the EP released in 1977, was the first... let's say, 'commercial success' by the Residents. It sold surprisingly well, in fact, and shot the band straight into a half-stardom. In fact, it was so successful that it got re-released as an LP, with another release, <strong>Buster &amp; Glen</strong>, on side B. That's the LP being reviewed here, by the way. There's little point in making a specific review for <strong>Duck Stab</strong>, but I can't help but review the two EPs separately.</p>

<p><strong>Duck Stab</strong> was a relative commercial success for reasons not too hard to understand. With the EP, the band moved away from "serious" avant-garde into a more lighthearted, humourous style of bizarre-pop. Of course, it's quite a stretch to call their previous albums "serious": they <em>were</em> humourous too, but they had a very snide, bitter kind of humour, satirical at its very core. With <strong>Duck Stab</strong>, the pure humour is more accentuated than the satire, though both are there. Also, the songs are shorter, easier on the ears, and feature actual, palpable <em>hooks</em>, those that refuse to leave your brain for quite a while. You know, <em>actual</em> hooks on a Residents release? Believe me, they are there. And they stand out quite a lot, too.</p>

<p><em>Of course</em> they are not your usual, everyday hooks, of course. Take 'Sinister Exaggerator', written almost entirely with diminished chords, with a grossly distorted main riff and the eerie strings harmonising along to the main melody. The melody is catchy, in its own, odd way. But it <em>is</em> catchy. And it <em>does</em> have a melody! Other songs manage to get on with twisted riffs, bizarre vocal deliveries and remarkable instrumentation, like 'Constantinople', that alternates between a dissonant guitar/synth (IF that is a synth) semi-riff and a passionate vocal delivery. Constantinople? Yeah, there he goes. "It's been a good life"? "I'm coming with my head high, I'm not coming on my knees"? He's talking about dying, right? Who knows, all I know is that it's also written with diminished chords! Woo!Excellent song, by the way. 'Laughing Song' is also great, with more of those twisted strings, and a funny "laughing" riff. Laughing riff? Yes! Check it out for yourself. Another great track is 'Elvis And His Boss', an unbelievable, visceral deconstruction of blues and/or rock 'n' roll, with the clashing of detuned instruments contrasting with passages on a glockenspiel. And what's with that weird solos? Very, very cool.</p>

<p>The slower songs are also successful in their moodiness, too. 'Blue Rosebuds' is the most reminescent of tunes like 'Melon Collie Lassie', while 'The Booker Tease' is a funny "generic" instrumental intermezzo, and 'Bach Is Dead' is an unexplainable "dirge", with a riff made with some scraping noise that I just can't decypher. Does anyone <em>need</em> to decypher it? I'm sure not. What's important is that the EP is a fine display that the band could use their wit and parody with a more lightweight approach, and it still could yield great results. And if you think that's just, you know, <em>too</em> lightweight for you, there's side B of the album, <strong>Buster And Glen</strong>, which is considerably darker, and also excellent. Some songs in it are even better, in fact, than most on <strong>Duck Stab</strong>. On the overall, though, I find it weaker - if only because the songs themselves aren't as strong. But in terms of mood, it's pretty much a hit.</p>

<p>As for highlights, you have the extra creepy 'Lizard Lady', a poem set to a kind of fast, tense music with the usual strange riffs and playing. 'The Electrocutioner' is also an unique thing, split in two, very different halves. On the first, it's speedy, fast, almost truly rhythmic, and after a brilliantly goofy sonic depiction of electrocution, it turns into a just as goofy "dirge", with the female singer incorporating the so called Electrocutioner herself. Well, you see, the EP doesn't end the way it begins, and there's all that stuff in between - some creepy tunes, some goofy tunes as well. There's just a bit of melody lacking - in 'Weight-Lifting Lulu', for example, that rarely sticks to my brain. The likes of 'Krafty Cheese' and 'Hello Skinny' at least have some wicked twists happening, which keep them pretty surprising; wicked voices, crazy half-melodies and such. 'Semolina' and 'Birthday Boy' are pretty cool - especially the former, with its completely unmelodic, yet catchy-as-heck refrain, and the crazy horns at the end; and the latter has a freaky intro with Vocoded voices and more weird voices. Yes, there are quite a couple of very memorable elements spread through the EP. It just lacks the overall punch from side A, but well, it stands against the heat very well. The two EP's work excellently well as a single release, since side B balances out side A and vice versa, and so on, so forth, all that.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>10/15</strong></big> - Hey, it must be the "pop" equivalent of <strong>Meet The Residents</strong>! If only shorter...<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>8/15</strong></big>  - Heh, there is hardly any novelty value after <strong>Meet The Residents</strong>, and it's not 'funny' as it is 'catchy', if you understand me.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>9/15</strong></big>  - No innovation, but originality? We got it!<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>10/15</strong></big> - Not a single moment bores me.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>10/15</strong></big> - The overall quality of the record won't let you down at all.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: 9.4 = <strong class="grade">9.5</strong>
</p>

<p>Comments? Ideas? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail me</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="available">Not Available (1978)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>The Making Of A Soul</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>Edweena</li>
  <li>The Making Of A Soul <span class="best">+</span></li>
  <li>Ship's A-Goin' Down</li>
  <li>Never Known Questions</li>
  <li>Epilogue</li>
</ol>

<p>Before everyone starts getting confused - this album was recorded right after <strong>Meet The Residents</strong> and before <strong>The Third Reich 'n' Roll</strong>, being their actual second album, and was meant <em>not</em> to be released until God-knows-when. This only to support a certain theory that an artist produces his best works only when he's totally isolated from the audience's expectations (copyright The Mysterious N. Senada, one more oh-so-mysterious Residents mystery). As a matter or fact, the album is completely different from <strong>Meet The Residents</strong> - it's more or less like a little opera, with 4 lengthy parts and an Epilogue. The music here is strangely <em>normal</em>, at least when compared to <strong>Meet The Residents</strong>. They still continue playing many instruments, whether they can play them or not, they sing the lyrics with weird voices, and they sing nonsensical lyrics. There is a certain story on here, but it's totally incomprehensible.</p>

<p>And so, you get here the definition of what's "normal" for the Residents' 70's era: radically out-of-tune instruments, less than competent rhythm keeping, voices forming an eerie non-harmony, haunting melodies and so on. The strangest thing here, in fact, is the album's apparent <em>seriousness</em>. Hardcore fans of the band will have explanations for that, but I can't help but think of it as a massive, gigantic prank. I mean, I <em>do</em> like the Residents a lot, maybe enough so I can consider myself as a fan. But I'm a sceptic fan, alright? So, yes. It's quite probable that this album <em>was</em> recorded in 1974, especially since the synthesizer sound, the organ beatboxes and the overall production style are highly reminescent of the <strong>The Third Reich 'n' Roll</strong> and <strong>Fingerprince</strong> era. But the thing of this album being "too personal" to be released, or the band's sudden disappearance that forced Ralph Records to release this album, almost makes me laugh. I'm not condemning them for that -I mean, it <em>is</em> The Residents, and condemning them for being pranksters is like condemning "Weird Al" Yankovic for being funny. It's a good, clever trick.</p>

<p>Besides, the album is very well written and interesting. The album as a <em>whole</em>, though, can't hope to be as exciting and interesting as a masterpiece such as <strong>Meet The Residents</strong>, and probably even <strong>The Third Reich 'n' Roll</strong>. The songs are mainly formed by different parts, that stumble over each other when you least expect. Fact is, most of those parts are based on actual, recognisable, memorable <em>melodies</em>. It doesn't mean that the band sticks to <em>playing</em> them as if they were melodies, but they are there. It seems one of their favourite tricks is to let an organ beatbox beating away a constant rhythm, and then start playing music over that without caring whether they're following the rhythm or not - like in the bombastic, pompous intro to 'Edweena', or in the first section of 'Never Known Questions'. And then, you never know whether be thrown headfirst into a beautiful, haunting, musical bit or into a disfigured chorus spitting out strange lyrics. Some of the songs here... well, I don't think they work very much. 'Edweena' does feature some great bits (such as the aforementioned intro and the dirge-like verses), but overall, it rambles a bit too much, aimlessly. 'Ship's A-Going Down' is also a tad annoying, what with the repetitive chants at the end - but it does feature a strangely bluesy sax solo at the end. 'The Making Of A Soul' is a favourite of mine, though. Starting from the faintly Latin rhythm at the start, followed by an almost catchy brass melody and vocal chants of the main theme from 'Edweena'. Suddenly, it falls into a achingly beautiful piano solo, which serves as a backdrop to the nonsensical monologue by the "Porcupine". The way it slowly escalates towards free dissonance is impressive, and the same happens with the second half of the song, which boasts a wicked rhythm and a wicked melody. These are some of the most openly "ugly", dissonant parts of the album, and they work because of the build-up towards them. That's what's lacking from some other songs here.</p>

<p>'Never Known Questions' also brings some of that in its two "halves" - the first with a rhumba-like melody, and the second with something of a weird, catchy march of sorts, with more of the Purcupine's ramblings. Makes for quite a climax to the album, before it fades away with the 'Epilogue', a short recapitulation of the dirgey theme from 'Edweena'. I like that song a lot, too - even if those two parts don't have anything to do with each other musically and don't even fit too well, they're good on their own, and really, "fitting in" doesn't mean a lot here. These songs are already fragmented, and whether they're split in a hundred bits, or joined into one huge track, I don't care. This "operetta" is more like just another great Residents album, and if that's because I can't interpret it properly, shame on me. But even if I <em>did</em> manage to interpret it properly, I'm not sure if that would change matters a lot. I do like this album more than enough, but it's far from mindblowing.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>8/10</strong></big>  - Ehn...<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>7/10</strong></big>  - The music only gets tense at very few occasions.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>8/10</strong></big>  - "Rock opera" wasn't a very innovative idea by 1974, let alone 1978.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - Well, the melodies <em>are</em> present, want it or not.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - You might get lost in the middle of so much repetition and nonsense.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <strong class="grade">8</strong>
</p>

<p><a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Send me your comments</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="eskimo">Eskimo (1979)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <em>Choosing the best song here is like choosing the best chapter in a book, kind of.</em>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>The Walrus Hunt</li>
  <li>Birth</li>
  <li>Arctic Hysteria</li>
  <li>The Angry Angakok</li>
  <li>A Spirit Steals A Child</li>
  <li>The Festival Of Death</li>
</ol>

<p><strong>Duck Stab</strong> stands as their first mild commercial success, but <strong>Eskimo</strong> is one of their biggest hits, and the one album that truly put them on the spotlight. It might have had something to do with the album's unique premise, or its flawless execution, or the awesomely striking costumes that became forever, intimately associated with the band - that's, of course, the tuxedoes and the big eyeball masks with top hats. Ain't that a marvellously memorable image? But yes, the image isn't the only clever, original thing here. The album's concept isn't something you can just talk about in two lines and cast aside.</p>

<p>This might be, in fact, one of the band's most devious pranks. <strong>The Third Reich 'n' Roll</strong> was a prank,alright, but that one was a <em>blatant</em> joke, and meant to be taken as such. This one... Well, suffice to say, it was taken as an actual historical document by many people. The subject matter is exactly what the title suggests, and the whole album is done as if giving insight into the lives of the Inuit people, both through the "music" and the liner notes. And I put music between quotes not because this is what you could call "anti-music", a la the band's earlier albums. These six songs <em>do</em> have bits of music in them, but overall, they flow like sonic poems which are actually the <em>background</em> of the stories printed on the record's sleeve. So, the main idea is that you should listen to the album while following the stories - though the latter isn't mandatory, if you already know what the tracks are about and what everything represents. But I feel pretty safe that this was one of the band's earliest examples of their constant flirtations with multimedia formats.</p>

<p>But what's all the deal? To me, the album's most impressive aspect is that it <em>is</em> a joke, but not only does it not look like one, but it's <em>supposed</em> not to. The stories do read like serious accounts by researchers and historians, the "factoids" will hardly tip you off, and the music... <em>WELL</em>, what do you know! This stuff will bore you out of your skull if you're expecting something you can listen to and remember afterwards. You need to be truly willing to let the experience sink in, and it'll be very difficult to put this on the player and go play a game, or read a book, or paint a canvas. Listening to this album is much more akin to watching a film - if you only pay peripheral attention to it, the whole point of the album is missed. So, yes, only get this if you're a dedicated person. For the dedicated ones, the review goes on steadily. For all the others, it's more recommeded to skip merrily through it.</p>

<p>This stuff is creepy. Creepy as <em>hell</em>, indeed. There's nothing here to make you go LOL - okay, maybe one thing or two - and the whole experience is very dense all the way through. For one, it sounds like you're in the very north pole itself. The chilly wind sounds almost never goes away, and that's just the start. The journey starts all very innocently with 'The Walrus Hunt', which just showcases a group of Inuit hunters doing the action the title indicates. The whole track features a constant, eerily catchy, distant horn melody (which, as the liner notes says, is there to help the hunters navigate). You have the paddling sounds, scary chants and drumbeats in the background, and then, the harpoon is swung in the air and launched... it hits the walrus, it howls and splashed on the water, and the hunters celebrate. Nothing necessarily creepy so far... This is just to put you in the mood. 'Birth' soon comes up, with more ritualistic sounds, strange synthesized melodies, and the Angakok performing the actual rite of birth halfway through. And after that, comes what's possibly the most impressive track here, in my opinion, 'Arctic Hysteria', in which the spiralling descent into madness is very well represented by wildly shrieking noises which gives you an incredible claustrophobic feeling.</p>

<p>If you're already well acquainted to the Residents' peculiar humour, you might find the album goofy instead, but for one, it's <em>perfectly</em> possible to turn off your disbelief and enjoy the album as a "serious" statement. I say that because the thing is so very well realised that you can only give real attention to the joke aspect, say, when you reach the end of 'The Festival Of Death' and the Inuits start to chant "Coca-Cola adds life!" in unison. You can also interpret that as a reminder of how "modern life" sucks the culture out of other peoples, which is also sort of it. In short, you can take the album for a number of things, but giving the album a "pure" listen, with headphones on, is still highly recommended - especially as things do get a bit unsettling and impressive when 'A Spirit Steals A Child' rolls by. The tale of the band building their own instruments may be true, but it might be another myth, but it doesn't matter. There's a considerable amount of synthesizer here, but it never gets overbearing or obtrusive. The musical textures are good, though they are few, and the album never loses interest. It's a brilliant achievement, and one of the band's finest, most accomplished and successful albums.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>10/10</strong></big>  - Duh.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>10/10</strong></big>  - <em>Very</em> evocative and realistic, and very hilarious, too.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>10/10</strong></big>  - No comments here.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>10/10</strong></big>  - Not only in the "musical" aspect.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>10/10</strong></big>  - No comments here, either.
</p>
<p class="rating">
  <big>Bonuses:     <strong>-1</strong></big>     - Merely because of my rating criteria. This album shouldn't steal the rating points devoted to other albums. <em>Conceptually</em>, this is still a 10.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: 10 - 1 = <strong class="grade">9</strong>
</p>

<p>Sending <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">mail</a> adds life!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="album">The Commercial Album (1980)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>The Coming Of The Crow</big><em>, but that isn't saying much.</em>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>Easter Woman</li>
  <li>Perfect Love</li>
  <li>Picnic Boy</li>
  <li>End Of Home</li>
  <li>Amber <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Japanese Watercolor</li>
  <li>Secrets</li>
  <li>Die In Terror</li>
  <li>Red Rider <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>My Second Wife</li>
  <li>Floyd</li>
  <li>Suburban Bathers</li>
  <li>Dimples And Toes</li>
  <li>The Nameless Souls</li>
  <li>Love Leaks Out</li>
  <li>The Act Of Being Polite</li>
  <li>Medicine Man</li>
  <li>Tragic Bells</li>
  <li>Lost Of Innocence</li>
  <li>The Simple Song</li>
  <li>Ups And Downs <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Possessions</li>
  <li>Give It To Someone Else</li>
  <li>Phantom</li>
  <li>Less Not More</li>
  <li>My Work Is So Behind</li>
  <li>Birds In The Trees</li>
  <li>Handful Of Desire</li>
  <li>Moisture</li>
  <li>Love Is</li>
  <li>Troubled Man</li>
  <li>La La</li>
  <li>Loneliness</li>
  <li>Nice Old Man</li>
  <li>The Talk Of Creatures</li>
  <li>Fingertips <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>In Between Dreams <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Margaret Freeman <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">The Coming Of The Crow ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">When We Were Young ++</span></li>
</ol>

<p>This album marked a point when, suddenly, The Residents weren't cool anymore. Suddenly, the press abandoned them just as quickly as they picked them up with <strong>Eskimo</strong>. Ahh, the fickleness of the media - one day, Prog is the best thing since sliced bread; the other day, Punk finally corrects the <em>mistake</em> that Prog was. Talk about consistency there.</p>

<p>Maybe the problem here is that, once again, the album is mainly a joke; but the joke here is goddamn blatant and obvious. Not that <em>that's</em> a problem, but suddenly, the potential of <strong>Eskimo</strong> wasn't present here anymore. There was nothing really "cult" or "cool" in this album, especially considering it's a direct, no-nonsense mockery of pop music as a whole. Yes, so <strong>The Third Reich 'n' Roll</strong> was a mockery too, but that was more of a mockery disguised as a tribute (or vice versa, you never know). But the concept here is something else entirely, and there's a aggravant: the music isn't what you can call a perfect complement for the concept. They're kind of separated, and connected only superficially. I'll explain: the liner notes explain, basically, that pop songs are one-minute compositions played three times on a row. So, in essence, any standard one-minute radio jingle can be turned into a hit single by playing it three times on a row. Simple, eh? You know, there are ideas that loow awfully obvious <em>after</em> someone had them, but <em>that</em> is an idea that <em>still</em> doesn't look obvious after all this time. You gotta admit it's a brilliant idea, and you didn't even <em>need</em> proper music to develop it further. If you wanted to, though, a short EP comprised of a handful of well designed one-minute verse-chorus songs would suffice. But no: the Residents went completely overboard and churned out FORTY ONE-MINUTE SONGS on a full-length LP. <em>That</em>, in itself, is another bold and brilliant move - on the LP label, <em>every</em> song is listed as having "1:00" in length. It's completely surreal, and the liner notes suggest you to program the album to play every song three times, so that a "jingle" album can be instantly turned into a "pop" album. Ain't that, like, the best thing ever?</p>

<p>But there's always a catch. And, as you might guess, these tracks are <em>NOT</em> jingle-like verse-chorus compositions, and playing them three times in a row <em>won't</em> turn them into pop songs. So, in a way, the music destroys the concept and vice-versa, and that <em>may</em> be what turned people away from it. Who knows. It's hard to tell, after all, the band did actually purchase several one-minute spots on a local radio stations so the songs would be played. The problem isn't just that the album isn't good (it is): it's just that it isn't COOL. But, oh, when it comes to the Residents, who gives a fuck about how cool they are? It's like complaining that Mogwai doesn't play on MTV too often. And the songs, well... They're just what you'd expect from the <strong>Duck Stab</strong> era Residents, just with much more synthesizer and with running lenths chopped down to one minute. You've got the weird voices, the eerie and dischordant melodies, and those obnoxiously repetitive 13-syllabe verses in pretty much <em>every goddamn song</em>.It's kind of grating, but hey, it's more of a pet peeve than anything. The songs themselves, though, are surprisingly brilliant. I mean, I know that they're all one minute long and so don't feature too many themes, but <em>who</em> can come up with forty independent and catchy themes for a single album? It's not what I'd call an easy thing.</p>

<p>The result is that, musically, this is an extremely rich and interesting record - there's a little self-repetition in spots, but hardly anything harmful - BUT in order to memorise all these songs, either you'd need dozens of listens, or you're an autist (I don't want to be tasteless here, REALLY, I swear). Not that it's all necessary, but since the songs bear no relationship to each other, one pretty much overrides the other, and the aftertaste is minimal. And it's a shame that songs so great have their impact harmed because of the album's structure. But who knows, maybe it's just my stubbornness to try playing every song three times in a row? I'm not sure. All I know is that there <em>are</em> actual stand-outs in the album, and there <em>are</em> hooks - be it in the shape of synth lines or vocal melodies. Very few (if any) follow the verse-chorus formula, and some of them are actually instrumentals. 'Japanese Watercolor' is just a little synth theme, and 'In Between Dreams' has a quite spooky little theme, like a creepy lullaby. The two closing tracks are the most impressive, in my opinion: 'The Coming Of The Crow' is a fuzzed-out "psychedelic" creature that almost sounds like something out of <strong>Ummagumma</strong>, and 'When We Were Young' is every bit as cute and nostalgic as the title suggests. As for the vocal songs, there are several pretty brilliant things here. I'd be stupid to name them all one by one, but a few ones don't harm. The likes of 'Amber', 'Red Rider', 'Dimples And Toes' and 'The Nameless Souls' are pretty entertaining. 'Picnic Boy' features the vocals of Lene Lovich, 'Ups And Downs' has the fun delivery of Snakefinger and 'Margaret Freeman' features the beat of the 'Monstrous Intro' from <strong>Babyfingers</strong> and Andy Partridge, from XTC. Some tunes here are rather creepy, though, and strangely enough, many of them bring thematics of broken relationships and such. I have no idea whether there is some sincerity involved, or it's just a parody of love songs or such. But anyway, 'Tragic Bells', 'The Act Of Being Polite', 'Handful Of Desire', 'Loneliness'and 'Fingertips' are standouts in the "eerie" aspect.</p>

<p>All songs here have something to offer. Yes, many of them are based on the same faux-jazzy rhythm or in similar synth patterns, but those moments of "d&eacute;j&agrave; vu" are actually the exceptions to the rule. The album <em>is</em> somewhat hard to get into, not because of the inaccessibility of the material (it is surprisingly accessible), but because of the hyperactivity. One thing is an album like <strong>Amarok</strong>, in which dozens of themes lead into each other at every moment, building up towards a solid structure at the end; but another thing is an album like this, with forty <em>completely unrelated</em> songs hitting you at the same rate. I say again, though: it's a bold move, a fantastic concept (you don't even need to listen to the album to get it), and it has brilliant music, so it deserves kudos.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>12/15</strong></big> - It <em>does</em> become hard to follow, after some time.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>12/15</strong></big> - It mixes humour with strangeness in the usual, Residents way.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>14/15</strong></big> - Call it an exaggeration, but the idea is brilliant.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>13/15</strong></big> - So many different tunes, and they all work well.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>11/15</strong></big> - You know... It's very easy for the songs to start passing you by after a while.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: 8.8 = <strong class="grade">9</strong>
</p>

<p>Any comments? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Send them in</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="persons">God In Three Persons (1988)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <em>Can't tell.</em>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>Main Titles (God In Three Persons)</li>
  <li>Hard And Tenderly</li>
  <li>Devotion?</li>
  <li>The Thing About Them</li>
  <li>Their Early Years</li>
  <li>Loss Of A Loved One</li>
  <li>The Touch</li>
  <li>The Service</li>
  <li>Confused (By What I Felt Inside)</li>
  <li>Fine Fat Flies</li>
  <li>Time</li>
  <li>Silver, Sharp And Could Not Care</li>
  <li>Kiss Of Flesh</li>
  <li>Pain And Pleasure</li>
</ol>

<p>Guess you couldn't expect an album like <em>this</em> from them eyeball heads. Why? No matter how gloomy and serious <strong>Mark Of The Mole</strong> could have been, this is easily the Residents' scariest and darkest album so far. What's interesting, too, is that the musicianship on here is extremely sharp, accurate and precise. It's certainly a quite weird album, but the goofiness and slight dissonance have given way to cold and precise atmosphere building.</p>

<p>Wow, what a paragraph. Let's explain everything in details. This album is a conceptual one, and it tells a full fledged story. Unlike <strong>Eskimo</strong>, that provided the sounds of the stories taking place, this album provides actual <em>music</em> in every track to go along with the story. The music does rely on synthesizers, but in my opinion, they make a <em>superb</em> job with the computers on here - and there's plenty of brasses, woodwinds, electric pianos, drums and vocals to compensate. The production is crisp and crystal clear, and gives the album a strange, <em>evil</em> aura. Laurie Amat contributes her stinging vocals, and most of all: the lyrics to the album are all <em>spoken</em>. Yes, that's what I said. This can certainly put off some listeners the first time around, but the truth is that the music complements the words <em>greatly</em> and vice versa. Also, the singing Resident does a magnificent job with speaking the words, sometimes sounding frail and vulnerable, other times desperate and angry, and other times simply and truly evil.</p>

<p>The story itself is absolutely wicked. Mr X meets two Siamese twins who have healing powers, and he decides to adopt them and be their 'manager', showing them off to the world and getting the big bucks. They travel from town to town, dragging the crowds along, and everything goes jolly good for a while. But mr X starts developing <em>other</em> feelings for the female twin, and this grows up to a state where he can't controls his feelings anymore. Things get worse when he finds out that the twins' genders actually just don't exist - so he slits down the bond between the two and rapes the girl. <em>!!!</em> Yes, that <em>is</em> the actual story. And the way the plot unfolds itself along the narration and music is absolutely, flawlessly <em>brilliant</em>. Seriously, everything about the album is definitely great. </p>

<p>It's useless to mention individual tracks, because they are all very even. But they're pretty different, still. Some of them create a subtle goofiness and humour, like 'Hard And Tenderly', others are moody and atmospheric, like 'Their Early Years', and others are absolutely frightening, like 'Silver, Sharp And Could Not Care', with the narration exposed barebones to the listener. The grand climax 'Kiss Of Flesh' is truly disturbing, and builds the necessary tension right from the beginning. Several parts of the album feature the theme of the 60's song 'Double Shot Of My Baby Love', and I don't know exactly why - but it sure sounds quite interesting that way.</p>

<p>As far as The Residents' catalogue is concerned, this is a true masterpiece. This isn't a knock-you-off-your-seat experience, but it will surely have you hanging at the edge of your seat through many moments. This is a <em>psychological thriller</em> in all respects, featuring great music and a powerful, disturbing story. I don't know if you'll want it stuck to your CD player too often, but still, get it and give it a spin or two. You won't be disappointed... well, maybe you will. But I certainly wasn't.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>10/10</strong></big> - It's a great first listen, and the other listens are equally satisfying.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>10/10</strong></big> - Ooh, the story is great. And the music compliments it very well.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>10/10</strong></big> - Oh, silly!<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>9/10</strong></big>  - Hardly anything will knock you off your seat, but you'll be holding your breath with all those neat atmospheres.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>10/10</strong></big> - More or less the same as above.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: 9.8 = <strong class="grade">9.5</strong>
</p>

<p>Ideas? Suggestions? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail me right away</a>!</p>

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